How to Prepare for HOA Board Service

Joining the HOA Board can be exciting, but also a little bit daunting. After all, an HOA is a real business with a real budget, and its decisions impact all the homeowners within the community. Your work matters, and there isn’t always a lot of time to ease into your new role. A lot of the time, you just have to hit the ground running.

That’s what makes it so important to truly prepare for your role in whatever time you have available. There is much you can do to school yourself in HOA service, both immediately following your election and even in the early weeks of your Board tenure.

We’ve got a list of three basic steps you can take to ensure that you are truly ready to serve.

Familiarize Yourself with Key Documents

First, make sure you spend time reviewing all the key documents that govern the HOA. Here are some specific ones that you will need to get a hold of:

Covenants and bylaws

The current budget

The most recent reserve study

Key vendor contracts

Insurance policies

Minutes from the most recent meetings

Login credentials for any online platforms or portals

Ask a more seasoned HOA Board member, or your property manager, to help you review and truly understand these documents.

Meet with Stakeholders

Speaking of which, it’s important to touch base with some of the main players in the HOA—and that includes:

The property manager

The outgoing treasurer

The incumbent who previously held your position

The HOA’s attorney

All of these individuals will be able to give you insight and instruction, and to provide you with a sense of some of the current issues facing the HOA.

Educate Yourself with Training Materials

A final step we would recommend is spending some time with Board member educational materials—whether that means videos, booklets, or actual seminars and workshops. Ask your property management company about the educational resources they have available; certainly, Kuester believes in education, and there is much we can do to assist Board members in this regard.

By following these steps, you can be ready to make a difference on your HOA Board—and you can feel truly confident in your appointment to this significant role. Take some time to make these preparations sooner rather than later.